PRP's Johnson:Deja vu ... again

David Johnson, principal of Pleasure Ridge Park School

Considering that the subject is once again Pleasure Ridge Park High School Principal David Johnson and his accountability issues as they pertain to a sports program at his school, perhaps it's not too much of a stretch to resurrect the famous Yogi Berra quote - "It's deja vu all over again" - to address the latest known episodes of his mismanagement and lack of leadership in his important, and taxpayer-funded, job.

These deficits surfaced under tragic circumstances more than four years ago, when a PRP football player named Max Gilpin collapsed after a grueling practice. He died three days later in the hospital. The teen's death spurred a police investigation and criminal charges of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment against Coach Jason Stinson; the coach was acquitted by a Jefferson Court jury.

But the portrait that emerged then of Mr. Johnson, the alleged leader of the school, was a profile in discouraging anything that would start shining a light on what led to the athlete's collapse. It caused this editorial page to recommend he be removed from his post until a thorough investigation of his stewardship of the school was completed. We wrote, on Feb. 18, 2009:

"The principal did not keep records. The principal did not take notes. The principal did not do formal interviews of those present when Gilpin collapsed or those who complained about the coaches' behavior. He was dismissive of e-mail and notes he received from people in the community, and he deleted e-mail protests. The principal did refer repeatedly to 'the chain of command,' none of which seemed to have anything to do with him.

"The casual nature of Mr. Johnson's alleged inquiry into what might have led to a teenager's death ... creates justified wonder about what else may be happening at PRP that he - and we - don't know about. We should not have to wonder."

Well, he's still on the job but we don't have to wonder anymore.

The Courier-Journal's Antoinette Konz reported on Tuesday that the Kentucky Office of Education Accountability investigated whether Mr. Johnson violated district policies and state regulations by allowing baseball coach Bill Miller to operate a for-profit sports business on school property "and oversaw thousands of dollars in expenses that were either improper or undocumented."

Ms. Konz reported that JCPS is going through the OEA report and conducting another internal audit "to determine whether any disciplinary action needs to be taken."

If past is prologue, that's not going to happen - even though Mr. Johnson's ignorance or disregard of district policies and state regulations is breathtakingly impressive. What's also striking about this set of activities, which go back a number of years, is the recurring theme of Mr. Johnson not keeping records, not filing forms, not remembering or being "unaware" of things going on right under his nose. Etc. Etc.

There's no death involved this time, but the latest revelations should lead more than an editorial page to wonder why Mr. Johnson still has a job leading a public school if he can't follow the rules for his professional performance.

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PRP's Johnson:Deja vu ... again

Considering that the subject is once again Pleasure Ridge Park High School Principal David Johnson and his accountability issues as they pertain to a sports program at his school, perhaps it's not